The present invention is concerned with speaker equipment, particularly equipment comprising a speaker of the well known cone type, and a speaker enclosure of novel configuration and construction.
Certain prior art speaker equipment has provided for the mounting of a speaker upon a baffle having a speaker opening, and frequently such a baffle is arranged in a relatively large cabinet having a substantial volume behind the speaker. In other known speaker equipment, the speaker is mounted in a chamber of relatively small volume but having an opening so that the speaker is in effect exposed not only at the front side of the speaker cone but also from the back side thereof. In general, in various forms of such speakers, the cabinetry has been of generally rectangular shape and also has been constructed of relatively heavy or thick baffle and wall boards, it being intended that the cabinetry or enclosure should be of sufficient thickness and mass to preclude any substantial vibration.
The speakers according to the present invention are distinguished from various prior art speakers by several important distinguishing characteristics. Thus, speaker equipment constructed according the present invention comprises a speaker mounted in a cabinet which not only has a chamber of relatively small total volume but which is also characterized by the provision of intercommunicating front and rear chamber compartments, the front compartment having a panel with an opening through which the speaker is exposed and being of relatively large volume, as compared with the rear compartment, which latter preferably is formed by a thin but wide "tail" communicating with and projecting rearwardly from the front compartment.
In addition, the speaker equipment of the present invention utilizes an enclosure which is formed of relatively thin sheet material, for instance plywood of the order of 1/8" in thickness, the speaker enclosure being substantially imperforate, except for the opening through which the speaker is exposed.
By the use of a speaker enclosure as described just above, the enclosure itself extensively participates in the sound generation, particularly at the lower frequencies of the audio spectrum.
Moreover by the employment of a front compartment of relatively large volume as compared with the volume of the rear compartment and by forming the rear compartment in the shape of a wide and thin "tail", points of resonance are avoided, and substantially uniform sound generation is developed throughout the range in which the speaker is effective.
Still further the general configuration of the speaker enclosure provided by the invention adapts the speaker equipment to use in a variety of positions and situations, including automobiles, as well as indoors and outdoors.